# NBL Finals

The National Basketball League (NBL) Finals is a tournament held at the end of each NBL season to determine the league champions.
The top six teams qualify for the finals based on their regular season performance. The current Finals format consists of four rounds: two sudden-death play-in games, followed by the best-of-three Semifinals and the best-of-five Grand Final series.

## Format
### 1980–1983

* Semifinals
* 1
* 4
* 2
* 3

### 1984

* Preliminary / Elimination finals
* 1
* 4
* 5
* 8
* 6
* 7
* 2
* 3

### 1985

| Elimination Finals | Semifinals |
| | 1 |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| | 2 |
| 3 | |
| 6 | |

### 1986

| Elimination Finals | Semifinals |
| | 1 |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| | 2 |
| 3 | |
| 6 | |

### 1987–1988

| Elimination Finals | Semifinals |
| | 1 |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| | 2 |
| 3 | |
| 6 | |

### 1989–1991

| Elimination Finals | Semifinals |
| | 1 |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| | 2 |
| 3 | |
| 6 | |

### 1992–1996

* Quarterfinals
* 1
* 8
* 4
* 5
* 3
* 6
* 2
* 7

### 1997–1998

| Elimination Finals | Semifinals |
| | 1 |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| | 2 |
| 3 | |
| 6 | |

### 1999

| Qualifying Finals | Semifinals |
| | 1 |
| 1 | |
| 6 | |
| 2 | |
| 5 | |
| 3 | |
| 6 | |
The top six teams at the end of the regular season advance to the finals under this playoff system:
* The first round of the postseason sees the team that finishes in first place at the end of the regular season against the team that finishes sixth; second plays fifth, and third plays fourth.
* The three teams that win their respective best-of-three first-round series advances, and is joined in the semifinals by the highest-placed losing team from the first round.
* Teams are then seeded again for the best-of-three semifinal series. The three winning teams from the first round are seeded in order of their regular-season finishing positions, and the first-round loser automatically becomes the No. 4 seed.
* The two winning teams from the semifinals meet in a best-of-three Grand Final series to determine the champion.

### 2000

| Elimination Finals | Semifinals |
| | 1 |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| | 2 |
| 3 | |
| 6 | |

### 2004–2008

| Elimination Finals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| | | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | 3 | | Third place | Third place | Third place | Third place | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | | | | | | | | | |

### 2009

| Elimination Finals | Semifinals |
| | 1 |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| | 2 |
| 3 | |
| 6 | |

### 2010–2016

* Semifinals
* 1
* 4
* 2
* 3

### 2017–2022

* Semifinals
* 1
* 4
* 2
* 3
The top four teams at the end of the regular season advance to the finals under this playoff system:
* The semifinals of the postseason sees the team that finishes in first place at the end of the regular season against the team that finishes fourth; and second plays third. All four teams play a best-of-three semifinal series.
* The two winning teams from the semifinals meet in a best-of-five Grand Final series to determine the champion.

### 2023–present

| Play-in / Seeding qualifier | Semifinals |
| 5 | 1 |
| 6 | |
| 3 | 2 |
| 4 | |

## List of finals

This is a complete listing of National Basketball League (NBL) Finals series, grouped by franchise. Series featuring relocated and/or renamed teams are kept with their ultimate relocation franchises. Bolded years indicate wins. Years in italics indicate series in progress. Tables are sorted first by the number of series, then the number of wins, and then by year of first occurrence.

### Adelaide 36ers

| Opponent | S | Occurrences | GP | Rec | % |
| Perth Wildcats | 10 | 1987, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2014, 2018 | 25 | 4–6 | .400 |
| Melbourne United | 5 | 1991, 1994, 2004, 2014, 2018 | 13 | 3–2 | .600 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 5 | 1986, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2017 | 11 | 3–2 | .600 |
| Victoria Titans | 4 | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 | 12 | 3–1 | .750 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 4 | 1985, 1986, 1994, 2005 | 8 | 2–2 | .500 |
| S.E. Melbourne Magic | 3 | 1993, 1996, 1998 | 6 | 1–2 | .333 |
| Newcastle Falcons | 2 | 1985,1995 | 4 | 0–2 | .000 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 2 | 2009, 2015 | 3 | 0–2 | .000 |
| West Sydney Razorbacks | 1 | 2002 | 3 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Canberra Cannons | 1 | 1988 | 2 | 0–2 | .000 |
| North Melbourne Giants | 1 | 1994 | 2 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Nunawading Spectres | 1 | 1984 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Cairns Taipans | 1 | 2006 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Totals | 40 | | 91 | 17–24 | .415 |
As of the end of the 2018 season

### Brisbane Bullets

| Opponent | S | Occurrences | GP | Rec | % |
| Perth Wildcats | 7 | 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2006, 2019 | 14 | 1–6 | .143 |
| Melbourne United | 6 | 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008 | 14 | 3–3 | .500 |
| Sydney Kings | 5 | 1990, 1992, 2004, 2005, 2007 | 11 | 2–3 | .400 |
| Adelaide 36ers | 4 | 1985, 1986, 1994, 2005 | 8 | 2–2 | .500 |
| Canberra Cannons | 3 | 1984, 1985, 1986 | 3 | 2–1 | .667 |
| North Melbourne Giants | 2 | 1984, 1995 | 3 | 1–1 | .500 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 1 | 1987 | 3 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Newcastle Falcons | 1 | 1993 | 2 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Eastside Spectres | 1 | 1990 | 2 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| S.E. Melbourne Magic | 1 | 1998 | 2 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Geelong Supercats | 1 | 1984 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Hunter Pirates | 1 | 2005 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 1 | 2008 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Sydney Supersonics | 1 | 1986 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Launceston Casino City | 1 | 1981 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| West Adelaide Bearcats | 1 | 1980 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Totals | 37 | | 68 | 18–19 | .486 |
As of the end of the 2019 season

### Cairns Taipans

| Opponent | S | Occurrences | GP | Rec | % |
| Perth Wildcats | 5 | 2004, 2007, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2023 | 10 | 4–2 | .667 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 3 | 2008, 2011, 2015 | 6 | 0–3 | .000 |
| Sydney Kings | 2 | 2006, 2023 | 5 | 0–2 | .000 |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 1 | 2011 | 3 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Melbourne United | 1 | 2007 | 2 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Adelaide 36ers | 1 | 2006 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Hunter Pirates | 1 | 2006 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| South Dragons | 1 | 2007 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 1 | 2023 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| West Sydney Razorbacks | 1 | 2004 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Totals | 18 | | 31 | 8–10 | .444 |
As of the end of the 2023 season

### Illawarra Hawks

| Opponent | S | Occurrences | GP | Rec | % |
| Perth Wildcats | 10 | 1998, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021 | 24 | 1–9 | .100 |
| Adelaide 36ers | 5 | 1986, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2017 | 11 | 2–3 | .400 |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 4 | 2001, 2003, 2005 2010 | 10 | 4–0 | 1.000 |
| Melbourne United | 3 | 1993, 1994, 2024 | 7 | 0–3 | .000 |
| Sydney Kings | 2 | 2005, 2022 | 5 | 0–2 | .000 |
| North Melbourne Giants | 2 | 1987, 1992 | 3 | 1–1 | .500 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 1 | 1987 | 3 | 0–1 | .000 |
| S.E. Melbourne Magic | 1 | 1995 | 3 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Victoria Titans | 1 | 1999 | 2 | 0–1 | .000 |
| West Sydney Razorbacks | 1 | 2004 | 2 | 0–1 | .000 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 1 | 2024 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| West Sydney Westars | 1 | 1986 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Newcastle Falcons | 1 | 1984 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 1 | 2024 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Totals | 34 | | 74 | 10–24 | .294 |
As of the end of the 2024 season

### Melbourne United

| Opponent | S | Occurrences | GP | Rec | % |
| Perth Wildcats | 8 | 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2005, 2006, 2019, 2021 | 21 | 5–3 | .625 |
| Sydney Kings | 7 | 1989, 1992, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2019, 2020 | 22 | 4–3 | .571 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 6 | 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008 | 14 | 3–3 | .500 |
| Adelaide 36ers | 5 | 1991, 1994, 2004, 2014, 2018 | 13 | 2–3 | .400 |
| S.E. Melbourne Magic | 4 | 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 | 11 | 2–2 | .500 |
| Victoria Titans | 3 | 1999, 2000, 2002 | 8 | 1–2 | .333 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 3 | 1993, 1994, 2024 | 7 | 3–0 | 1.000 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 3 | 2009, 2016, 2018 | 6 | 2–1 | .667 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 2 | 2022, 2024 | 8 | 0–2 | .000 |
| South Dragons | 1 | 2009 | 5 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Canberra Cannons | 1 | 1996 | 3 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 1 | 2021 | 3 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| West Sydney Razorbacks | 1 | 2002 | 3 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Cairns Taipans | 1 | 2007 | 2 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| North Melbourne Giants | 1 | 1997 | 2 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 1 | 2005 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Totals | 48 | | 129 | 26–22 | .542 |
As of the end of the 2024 season

### New Zealand Breakers

| Opponent | S | Occurrences | GP | Rec | % |
| Perth Wildcats | 4 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 | 11 | 3–1 | .750 |
| Sydney Kings | 3 | 2013, 2023, 2024 | 8 | 2–1 | .667 |
| Cairns Taipans | 3 | 2008, 2011, 2015 | 6 | 3–0 | 1.000 |
| Melbourne United | 3 | 2009, 2016, 2018 | 6 | 1–2 | .333 |
| Adelaide 36ers | 2 | 2009, 2015 | 3 | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 1 | 2023 | 3 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 1 | 2012 | 3 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 1 | 2008 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 1 | 2024 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Totals | 19 | | 42 | 13–6 | .684 |
As of the end of the 2024 season

### Perth Wildcats

| Opponent | S | Occurrences | GP | Rec | % |
| Adelaide 36ers | 10 | 1987, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2014, 2018 | 25 | 6–4 | .600 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 10 | 1998, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021 | 24 | 9–1 | .100 |
| Melbourne United | 8 | 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2005, 2006, 2019, 2021 | 21 | 3–5 | .375 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 7 | 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2006, 2019 | 14 | 6–1 | .857 |
| Cairns Taipans | 6 | 2004, 2007, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2023 | 10 | 2–4 | .333 |
| North Melbourne Giants | 5 | 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995 | 15 | 3–2 | .600 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 4 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 | 11 | 1–3 | .250 |
| Sydney Kings | 3 | 2003, 2008, 2020 | 8 | 1–2 | .333 |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 3 | 2000, 2008, 2009 | 5 | 2–1 | .667 |
| Gold Coast Blaze | 2 | 2010, 2012 | 5 | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| West Sydney Razorbacks | 2 | 2000, 2002 | 5 | 1–1 | .500 |
| S.E. Melbourne Magic | 2 | 1994, 1997 | 4 | 0–2 | .000 |
| Eastside Spectres | 1 | 1991 | 3 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 1 | 2024 | 3 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Victoria Titans | 1 | 2000 | 2 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Canberra Cannons | 1 | 1987 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 1 | 2023 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Totals | 67 | | 157 | 40–27 | .597 |
As of the end of the 2024 season

### S.E. Melbourne Phoenix

| Opponent | S | Occurrences | GP | Rec | % |
| Melbourne United | 1 | 2021 | 3 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Perth Wildcats | 1 | 2023 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Totals | 2 | | 4 | 0–2 | .000 |
As of the end of the 2023 season

### Sydney Kings

| Opponent | S | Occurrences | GP | Rec | % |
| Melbourne United | 7 | 1989, 1992, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2019, 2020 | 22 | 3–4 | .429 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 5 | 1990, 1992, 2004, 2005, 2007 | 11 | 3–2 | .600 |
| Perth Wildcats | 3 | 2003, 2008, 2020 | 8 | 2–1 | .667 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 3 | 2013, 2023, 2024 | 8 | 1–2 | .333 |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 3 | 2001, 2003, 2007 | 7 | 2–1 | .667 |
| Canberra Cannons | 2 | 1989, 1996 | 6 | 0–2 | .000 |
| Cairns Taipans | 2 | 2006, 2023 | 5 | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 2 | 2005, 2022 | 5 | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| West Sydney Razorbacks | 1 | 2004 | 5 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| North Melbourne Giants | 1 | 1994 | 3 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 1 | 2022 | 3 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Totals | 30 | | 83 | 17–13 | .567 |
As of the end of the 2024 season

### Tasmania JackJumpers

| Opponent | S | Occurrences | GP | Rec | % |
| Melbourne United | 2 | 2022, 2024 | 8 | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 1 | 2023 | 3 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Perth Wildcats | 1 | 2024 | 3 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Sydney Kings | 1 | 2022 | 3 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Cairns Taipans | 1 | 2023 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 1 | 2024 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Totals | 7 | | 19 | 5–2 | .714 |
As of the end of the 2024 season

## Finals appearances

| Team | Appearances | Notes |
| Perth Wildcats | 38 | 35 straight Finals appearances from 1987 to 2021. |
| Melbourne United | 29 | Rebranded as Melbourne United in 2014, and represents the whole of Melbourne. |
| Adelaide 36ers | 26 | Formerly the Adelaide City Eagles (1982 only). |
| Illawarra Hawks | 24 | Only team to play all seasons since 1979. |
| Brisbane Bullets | 22 | Foundation club since 1979. |
| Sydney Kings | 19 | Formerly the Sydney Supersonics and the West Sydney Westars. |
| North Melbourne Giants | 15 | Last season in 1998. Formed the Victoria Titans in 1998. |
| Canberra Cannons | 11 | Last season in 2003. Became the Hunter Pirates in 2003. |
| New Zealand Breakers | 10 | Joined the NBL in 2003. First club outside of Australia. |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 10 | Competed in the league for 24 seasons. Last season in 2016. |
| Cairns Taipans | 9 | Joined the NBL in 1999. |
| Eastside Spectres | 8 | Last season in 1991. Formed the South East Melbourne Magic in 1992. |
| S.E. Melbourne Magic | 7 | Last season in 1998. Formed the Victoria Titans in 1998. |
| Newcastle Falcons | 6 | Competed in the league for 21 seasons. Last season in 1999. |
| Geelong Supercats | 4 | Last season in 1996. Now in NBL1 South. |
| Victoria Titans | 4 | Became the Victoria Giants in 2002. |
| West Adelaide Bearcats | 4 | Last season in 1984. Now in NBL1 Central. |
| Gold Coast Blaze | 3 | Last season in 2012. |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 3 | Joined the NBL in 2019. |
| St. Kilda Saints | 3 | Last season in 1991. Formed the South East Melbourne Magic in 1992. |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 3 | Joined the NBL in 2021. |
| West Sydney Razorbacks | 3 | Became Sydney Spirit in 2008. |
| Hunter Pirates | 2 | Last season in 2006. Became the Singapore Slingers in 2006. |
| South Dragons | 2 | Left the NBL in 2009. |
| Sydney Supersonics | 2 | Formed the Sydney Kings in 1988. |
| Launceston Casino City | 1 | Last season in 1982. |
| Singapore Slingers | 1 | Left the NBL in 2008. Joined the ABL in 2009. |
| West Sydney Westars | 1 | Formed the Sydney Kings in 1988. |